


sudden confessions

by mixtapestar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Canon, Roommates, Spells & Enchantments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29420169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixtapestar/pseuds/mixtapestar
Summary: Oliver worries when Percy comes home early due to a spell mishap at work. The consequences of the spell? Percy has no verbal filter.
Relationships: Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood
Comments: 14
Kudos: 126
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	sudden confessions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Val_Creative](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/gifts).



Oliver is just starting to wonder what he should do with his day off when his watch flashes with the blue of an urgent-but-not-dire message. He taps his wand to it, murmuring the spell along with his passphrase, and Percy's voice fills the room.

_I'll be apparating home in the next five minutes. I'll head straight to my room; please ignore me, don't even say anything to me._

There's a long pause, though the ambient light tells him there's more to the message. Percy's voice sounds oddly strained, with a cadence like he's reading instead of speaking freely.

_There was a mishap with a spell while I was consulting for Marlsby, but nothing to worry about. Physically, all is well. I just need a day to recover._

Oliver frowns as the message ends there, rather abruptly. Marlsby's speciality is in Secrets Magic; if Percy was called to consult with him, he'd likely be in the role of distracting or subduing the target. Despite Percy's assurances, a spike of anxiety hits Oliver as he wonders what happened.

But Percy asked him not to say anything to him, and Oliver knows better than to push when Percy sounds so serious. So when Percy pops in, looking weary but otherwise physically fine—as promised—Oliver keeps his mouth shut.

"I should've asked you to stay in your room," Percy says, frowning. "But that would've been rude. It's your flat too after all. Oh, Merlin—" he continues, clamping a hand over his mouth and striding toward his room.

Oliver steps up to his closed door and waits for a few moments to make sure there are no sounds of distress, but hearing none, he moves away. He had thought to spend the day out, perhaps shopping or stopping in to visit friends, but with Percy holed up with some unknown spell effect, he doesn't particularly want to leave him alone. Even if he is supposed to refrain from talking to him.

So he enjoys a lazy day at home, catching up on the latest Quidditch publications and making a simple lunch for himself with more than enough to spare, should Percy want some. He's contemplating whether he should do some of his home exercises rather than stepping out when there's a tap against their front window. He walks to it to let the owl inside, seeing Percy's name on the envelope.

"There's an owl for you, Perce," Oliver calls out, taking the letter and offering the owl a treat. It accepts it quickly and flies back into the sky, clearly not expecting to deliver a response.

"Just slide it under the door, please," Percy calls back. Oliver does, and barely a minute later, he's startled to hear Percy cursing loudly.

Oliver is weighing the pros and cons of asking what's wrong when Percy's door slams open. "So _apparently_ my only recourse to getting rid of this _curse_ that has been so unfairly bestowed upon me is to 'ride it out'," —he says with air quotes— "which apparently means that I have to subject myself to the full effects of the spell, which was _not what Marlsby told me_ when we returned to the office. Leave it to him to wait until I'm safely _out of his way_ to deliver the bad news. _Merlin_. I don't even _like_ Marlsby, I didn't even want to take on the consultation, but I agreed as a favor to Penelope, you _know_ how he gets with her."

"Er—" Oliver begins, trying to digest everything that's just been thrown at him. He's seen Percy talk this fast when he gets excited, particularly about his own pet projects—Oliver could barely get a word in when Percy first came up with the idea for sending messages over watches instead of the clunkiness of using the Floo system—but this is something else entirely. "So this is the effect of the spell, I take it?"

"Yes," Percy says, sighing and dropping down onto the couch. "I apparently have no verbal filter. Do you mind if I stay home to work it out? My only other viable option is Ginny, and I'm not entirely sure what she's up to today. I'd hate to pop in just to find her surrounded by friends and stick myself in a worse position. Or Merlin forbid she's at practice, I'd likely be accused of 'spying for the enemy' again, and you _know_ how much their Keeper already hates me—"

"Perce," Oliver interrupts, realizing that if he doesn't, this will never stop. "I don't mind at all. I'm honored you feel comfortable enough to 'ride it out' with me, honestly."

"Oh no," Percy says, going red. "Please don't say things like that. I'm going to pretend you said something about elephants. Elephants really are fascinating creatures. Did you know Amber Scorseby's patronus is an elephant? Given her penchant for remembering the smallest details, it really makes sense."

"Why don't I get you some water?" Oliver offers, walking to the kitchen while Percy yammers on, moving on to rhinos now. When he returns to the couch, Percy takes the glass from him gratefully and immediately starts drinking.

"So this is what the inside of your head is like, eh?" Oliver asks as Percy gulps down water. "No wonder you're always so wound up. I would be too if my brain worked so fast."

"Oh, please," Percy says, setting his empty glass down on the coffee table with a loud _thunk_. "You are just as sharp as I am, you just channel it in different ways. I've seen you on the Quidditch pitch. You're brilliant, always anticipating people's next moves. You'll be captain in five years, mark my words." Oliver smiles, touched to hear that Percy feels that way, but before he can say anything, Percy changes the subject and dives into thoughts on cauldron bottoms out of nowhere.

They continue on like that for a while, with Oliver getting in an occasional thought, but Percy mostly rambling about whatever pops into his mind. Oliver doesn't mind overly much; it's always fun to see Percy go off on a tirade, and this is practically the same, except he shows no signs of stopping.

He admittedly loses track at some point, caught up in watching Percy's hands as he talks, but then he tunes back in just in time to hear "—but it's becoming increasingly difficult not to think about how much I want to kiss you." Oliver's breath catches, and his eyes snap up to Percy's. "Oh, bollocks. Please forget that I said that. It's this spell, making me blurt out every little passing thought."

Percy endeavors to change the subject again, but Oliver turns the sentiment over in his head, trying to make it match up with reality. "When we moved in together," he interrupts, and Percy falls instantly silent, "you said you 'wouldn't have time for any romance.' You were pretty firm on it."

Percy barks a laugh as he taps his wand against his glass to refill it with water. He takes his time drinking the whole thing, quiet while he does. It gives Oliver a chance to catch his breath. Percy sounds self-deprecating when he finally sets the glass aside. "Because I've got a line of suitors waiting outside the door, right? I said that so that you wouldn't notice how pathetic it is that I'm alone all the time."

"I'd never think you were pathetic," Oliver says softly, still trying to put the pieces together.

"I'm going to take a break," Percy announces, pushing himself up off the couch.

"Of course, yeah," Oliver says. "Can I do anything for you? You haven't eaten. I made pasta. It's not much, but I can heat some leftovers."

"I really don't deserve you," Percy says, a blush high on his cheeks. He covers his face and heads toward his room. "Leave it by the door if you don't mind. I'm going to scream into a pillow for a few minutes."

As Oliver heats the pot, he retraces the thread of their conversation. He was so sure the 'no romance' rule was pointed at him. In other words, Percy was politely steering him away from expressing his romantic interests. Oliver had understood; after all, it wouldn't have been a great idea to start a relationship immediately after moving in together. Not that they hadn't been used to rooming together at Hogwarts. At least here they had their own separate bedrooms they could escape to.

Now, though, neither of their financial situations are nearly as dire, and he feels confident that he could get his own place if it came to it. Not that he wants to. He loves living with Percy. Not only does Percy usually take care of the meals—amazing, creative dishes that always taste wonderful, especially after a rough practice day that leaves Oliver starving and exhausted—but he's great company. Oliver can't think of a single other person that actually cares to listen to his Quidditch rants _and_ offer helpful suggestions when he's done. And he returns the favor when he can, trying to offer his outside perspective as Percy navigates the ins and outs of the Ministry, trying to figure out where he fits best. It had been his idea for Percy to put out feelers for consultations across departments; so far, it's worked out well, with the exception of this run-in with Marlsby and his wandering spell.

He shakes himself, stirring the pasta as the pot starts to simmer. Percy had said he wanted to kiss him. He was trying _not_ to think about kissing him. And he seemed to be unaware of how mutual the feeling was. Two years living across the hall from one another with Oliver operating under the assumption that his feelings were unwelcome. He's become an expert at keeping his moments of infatuation to himself, but—maybe he doesn't have to.

He transfers the food to a plate and covers it with one of Percy's fancy lids, placing a warming charm on it and leaving it on the counter. He takes a fortifying breath before he walks up to Percy's door and gives a sharp knock.

It takes a few moments before Percy opens the door, and he looks back at Oliver with some surprise. "Oh," Percy says, looking flustered. "I thought you were just dropping off food."

"Can I kiss you?" Oliver asks, feeling his face flush, but refusing to back down now that the idea has formed in his head.

"I—what—wh-why would you want to?"

"I always want to," Oliver says, taking half a step forward. As Percy's eyes go even wider, a prickle of doubt works its way up Oliver's spine. "The spell doesn't make it so that you can't refuse, right? I can wait until it's worn off."

Percy looks bewildered. "I can refuse. If anything, I can't help but speak my mind. But—I don't understand. Where is this coming from?"

"You said you wanted to kiss me," Oliver says, really starting to doubt himself now. He rocks back half a step to where he started. "I thought—well, no, it doesn't matter what I thought. If it was just the spell—"

"If you're serious, then I am going to regret it forever if I don't let you kiss me," Percy says, his eyes falling to Oliver's lips. "Even if I don't understand why."

"This seemed far more romantic in my head," Oliver says, trying for a smile as he moves forward into Percy's personal space again. Percy reaches up a hand to his chest, and Oliver is sure he can feel his heart racing. "I have feelings for you, Perce. I thought you knew— _had_ known, for ages. I thought your 'no romance' policy was your way of letting me down easy."

Percy's eyes resemble saucers at this point. "Merlin— _no_. I had no idea—you mean to tell me that if I'd kept my big mouth shut—kind of ironic at the moment—that we could have had something _two years ago_?"

Oliver shrugs, bringing his hands up to Percy's hips as he's flooded with relief. "I'm not sure when it would've happened, but—maybe." Percy fingers flex, Oliver's shirt bunching in his hand. Oliver's voice comes out rough when he says, "I'm going to kiss you now."

Percy meets him in the middle, their mouths colliding almost too harshly at first, but then Percy backs off slightly and their lips gentle, and it's _good_. Oliver feels giddy with possibility as Percy moans against his lips.

Percy pulls out of the kiss long enough to take his glasses off, tossing them on the bed behind him and moving back in, framing Oliver's face with his hands as he kisses back with even more enthusiasm. They kiss until they have to break for air, lingering in each other's space and smiling ridiculously as they catch their breath.

"I've been interested in you since Hogwarts," Percy says, staring down at his shirt rather than looking him in the eye. "A lot has changed over the years, but not that. I never actually thought it was an option."

Oliver leans in to kiss him once more, gently, sweetly. "I should leave you to it. I have a million questions, but I don't want to take advantage of your current state."

Percy looks back at him with such affection in his eyes that it nearly knocks the wind out of him. "I think the spell may be wearing off, now that it's got a confession out of me. I'll send Ginny a message; see if she can pop by to help me through the last of it."

"That sounds brilliant," Oliver says, but when the time comes to pull away, he doesn't. He moves back in for another kiss; he can't help himself.

When Percy eventually breaks the kiss, his lips are swollen and his expression is wrecked. "Go," he says, sounding unconvincing, "before I make a fool of myself."

Oliver would really like to know what 'making a fool of himself' would entail, but he forces himself to step back, knowing that Percy isn't quite in his right mind. He'll have plenty of time to learn about Percy's deepest desires the old-fashioned way, now that he has the opportunity.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated! <3


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